World champion banned for 90 days after airport theft

Italian world swimming champion Benedetta Pilato and a teammate were banned for 90 days by Italy's Swimming Federation on the 9th, after being caught stealing cosmetics from shops at Singapore's airport.

Now 20 years old, Pirato is the 2022 World Swimming Championships women’s 100-meter breaststroke champion and earned a bronze medal this August at the World Swimming Championships in Singapore, finishing third in the women’s 50-meter breaststroke event.

According to dpa, after attending the competition in Singapore, Pirato and her 23-year-old teammate Chiara Tarantino headed to Bali, Indonesia, for a vacation. On their way back home, while passing through Singapore’s Changi Airport, Tarantino secretly slipped several bottles of essential oils into Pirato’s bag at a duty-free shop.

This scene was captured by surveillance cameras, and the two individuals were detained—but later released and allowed to return home, thanks to coordination with the Italian embassy.

The Italian Swimming Federation issued a statement on the 9th saying that, following recommendations from Italy's public prosecutors, two athletes have been banned for 90 days starting from the 9th. According to AFP, this means they will miss the upcoming European Short Course Swimming Championships, scheduled to be held in Poland this December.

Source | @Xinhua International, Chao News

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